“YOU ARE PETER, AND ON THIS ROCK I will build my church,” said Jesus to Simon Peter (Matt. 16:18). I had always envisioned this as the rock-strengthened church standing firm against all the onslaughts and batterings of hell’s forces. “Not so,” a scientist who was also a lay minister once told me, “I see that rock of the church not standing still, waiting to be attacked, but thrown by God, flying through the air, crashing into the gates of evil to release those trapped there.” What an insight!
– Flora Slosson Wuellner
Forgiveness, the Passionate Journey
(via On This Rock)
I love this twist in the metaphor. Most of the time the "rock" image is stagnant at worst and focused on stability at best. But the picture a church flying through the air is captivating, and then crash liberating trapped people … wow! 🙂
Of course, the experience on the ground as far as church is concerned is not always "high flying". So often, we might feel so stuck in the mud that we wonder when are we getting out of this mess. Just when we think we are taking fresh steps forward, we step on "undesirable variables". In the midst of this mud stuck and misstep reality, our imagination and vision of who we are needs constant input. So this "flying rock" image is a fresh ignition at least for me … I’m sure the crashing experience will be unpleasant and not without some level of pain … but then after see trapped people released, it’s worth it. That "end" served and still serves as the "beginning" (and "restarts") of me signing up for the ride.